Myanmar govt aims for legitimacy

Myanmar govt aims for legitimacy

By Aung Shwe Oo and Peter Janssen

YANGON/BANGKOK (DPA): When Myanmar, officially Myanmar, joins
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) today, its
notorious military regime is generally seen as getting an
important legitimacy boost -- but not much in terms of economic
benefits.

No one should down-play the importance of ASEAN in terms of
setting the tone for "political correctness" in the region. As of
July 23 the association will include nine out of the ten
Southeast Asian countries, minus only trouble-torn Cambodia.

ASEAN, which turns 30 this year, currently includes Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam, and generally represents one of the world's most dynamic
economic regions.

Tomorrow the foreign ministers of Laos and Myanmar will join
their seven established ASEAN counterparts for their first
ministerial meeting as full members, discussing regional
security, trade and investment issues.

Myanmar's seat at the illustrious ASEAN table has been hard
won. The group's decision to accept Yangon, represented by the
military-run State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), was
vehemently opposed by the U.S. government, the European Union and
most other democratic countries.

ASEAN put its strong economic/diplomatic ties with the United
States on the line by announcing its determination to admit
Myanmar, despite a decision by President Bill Clinton in April to
slap a ban on all new American investments in the country to
protest SLORC's poor human rights record.

SLORC has earned itself widespread criticism for refusing to
acknowledge the electoral win of then National League for
Democracy (NLD) Party, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi, at the May, 1990 polls.

ASEAN's tacit support for SLORC has already influenced the way
other countries outside the region approach the pariah regime.
For example, South African President Nelson Mandela -- another
Nobel Peace Prize laureate -- at a recent press conference in
Bangkok refused to be drawn into public condemnation of SLORC,
and support for fellow freedom fighter Suu Kyi.

"We should not develop independent attitudes because that can
bring about chaos," Mandela said. "Whatever contribution we want
to make we will make in the region through ASEAN."

ASEAN's stance towards Myanmar's paranoid military regime has
been to follow a policy of "constructive engagement" and non-
interference in its internal affairs.

This has translated into a good deal of ASEAN investment and
trade with the country.

In fiscal 1995-96, ending March 31, Myanmar's total imports
from its Southeast Asian neighbors amounted to 4,121 million
kyat, or 31 percent of the country's total import bill. Myanmar
exports to ASEAN during the same period amounted to 2,103 million
kyat, or 42 percent of all exports.

In terms of foreign investment as of May 31, 1997, four ASEAN
countries -- Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia --
ranked among Myanmar's top ten investors. Of the 251 approved
investment projects involving US$6,070 million ASEAN accounted
for 118 and $2,922 million, respectively.

Britain, however, was still the biggest single investor nation
in Myanmar with 28 projects worth $1,318 million.

Ironically, Myanmar's heritage as a former British colony has
made it better prepared than other new ASEAN members (former
French colonies Laos and Cambodia) to join the fold.

"They have the edge on the other two because most of their
experts and officials speak fluent English," said one
international aid worker who has assisted Myanmar in its
preparations to join ASEAN.

Furthermore Myanmar has had years of experience in the
international trade community. The country has long been a member
of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its
successor the World Trade Organization (WTO).

While Myanmar has won the ASEAN battle most western observers
stress it has yet to win the war in terms of securing the fruits
of international legitimacy.

Without the support of the United States and other Western
democracies, Myanmar has no hope of receiving much needed
international financial assistance from the World Bank,
International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank, without
which SLORC's efforts to bring about economic development will be
severely hampered.